Blogs

If you’ve ever watched a New York Knicks home game—and the way the team has played lately, I don’t blame you if you haven’t—there are always a few constants. One, the fans will cheer loudly. Two, the fans will boo loudly. And three, Spike Lee will do both from the front row, sitting courtside with a baggy Knicks jersey on the whole time.

That leads us to Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals and one of the biggest shocks of the playoffs so far.

If you watched closely, throughout the game you could see Lee sitting within whispering distance of the Los Angeles Lakers bench. Not only was Spike enjoying courtside seats for a team that plays six hours away from his hometown, he was slapping five with Kobe Bryant and shouting encouragement until the final buzzer.

Um, am I missing something here?

Spike Lee is a lifelong Knicks fan. Think back to the Knicks classic playoff battles in the 1990s and Lee’s name is almost as memorable as players like Patrick Ewing, John Starks, and Charles Oakley. And now’s he’s Kobe’s new BFF? What gives?

Actually, it’s pretty simple. See Lee’s new documentary on Bryant just premiered on ESPN last weekend. Apparently promoting his new film on Kobe is more important to Lee than a lifetime allegiance to his hometown Knicks.

I personally think Spike should be held accountable for acting this way. Too often, celebrity fans hop on the bandwagon of whichever team happens to be winning at the time. Spike has always been a breath of fresh air amongst high-profile fans. Win or lose, he was always at the Garden rooting his team on. At least he used to be. Now he’s just another fair-weather fan trying to get in front of the camera. Shame on you Spike.

What do you think: Should celebrities have to stick with their hometown team, win or lose? Or should they be able to switch whenever they like? Click E-mail the Editor and send me your thoughts!